On Tuesday, the No. 1 UConn Huskies opened their season in Annapolis, Maryland as the defending National Champions versus the Louisville Cardinals, ranked No. 20. Here, it was all Huskies in the first quarter at Alumni Hall as they took a 25-9 lead over the Cardinals.
KK Arnold had nine points as Azzi Fudd scored eight, six of which from beyond the arc in the quarter. In the second quarter, Sarah Strong , the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, scored 11 of her game-high 21 points. The preseason All-American had nine rebounds and five assists in the game.
As UConn took a 44-23 halftime lead, the third quarter saw them match Louisville with 17 points. The Huskies entered the fourth quarter with a 21-point lead of 61-40. In the end, the No. 1 team in Women’s College Basketball got the 79-66 win over Louisville. It’s important to note the Cardinals outscored UConn by a 26-18 score in the fourth.
Fudd finished the game with 20 points as she and Strong each played 38 minutes. Arnold went 6-10 from the field, finishing with 13 points.
Aggressive Azzi Fudd starting the season off strong!
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 5, 2025
vs. #20 Louisville:
– 20 points
– 2 rebounds
– 3 assists pic.twitter.com/cFHxeEC6m4
Additionally, guard Kayleigh Heckel scored 14 points in 23 minutes of action in the win. Last season, Heckel averaged 6.1 points per game with the USC Trojans.
Ziegler Led The Way For Louisville
Despite the loss, forward Laura Ziegler led the Cardinals in scoring with 16 points along with 18 rebounds. Ziegler was three-time All-A-10 in her previous three seasons with Saint Joseph’s prior to joining Louisville. Also, guards Imani Berry and Skylar Jones scored 13 points apiece in the season opener.
What’s Next For UConn?
On Sunday, the Huskies will head home to the Gampel Pavillion to face another squad from the ACC, the Florida State Seminoles. Florida State is off to a 2-0 start under head coach Brooke Wyckoff, who’s in her fifth season with the Seminoles.
